Gaming streamer Dr Disrespect is facing renewed backlash from the online creator community — this time for publicly admitting that he privately messaged a minor, which led to his abrupt ban from Twitch four years ago.
“Oh my god my boy, go take that break bro,” Kai Cenat, currently one of the platform’s most popular stars, said during a stream Tuesday. In a snippet shared online, Cenat can be seen unfollowing Dr Disrespect on X (formerly Twitter).
Less than a hour before, the 42-year-old streamer (real name Herschel “Guy” Beahm IV) tweeted the first version of a lengthy statement responding to a report by the Verge that detailed his June 2020 Twitch exit. The report, citing two former Twitch employees, alleged that Beahm had used the platform’s now-defunct Whispers private messaging feature in 2017 to “exchange messages with a minor and initiate a conversation about meeting up at TwitchCon.”
Before the report’s publication, Beahm had denied the allegations by tweeting last week, “no wrongdoing was acknowledged and [Twitch] paid out the whole contract.” Amid the allegations, game studio Midnight Society announced Monday that it had parted ways with its co-founder.
Amid the reports, the San Francisco 49ers, gaming headset company Turtle Beach and basketball game franchise “NBA 2K” have also reportedly cut ties with Beahm.
Then, on Tuesday, Beahm admitted exchanging messages with a minor in 2017, when he was 35.
“These were casual, mutual conversations that sometimes leaned too much in the direction of being inappropriate, but nothing more,” he said. “Nothing illegal happened, no pictures were shared, no crimes were committed, I never even met the individual.”
Beahm had edited the statement multiple times, according to X. In the second version, he did away with the word “minor” and swapped it with “individual.” In the most recent version, he restored “minor.” In all versions of his missive, Beahm asserted that he did not engage in criminal activity and that his feud with Twitch was a “civil dispute” that was “resolved by a settlement.”
He continued: “Now, from a moral standpoint I’ll absolutely take responsibility. I should have never entertained these conversations to begin with. That’s on me. That’s on me as an adult, a husband and a father.”
As his message went viral, fellow streamers recoiled. In addition to Cenat, popular Twitch stars, including Valkyrae, Codemiko, Hasan Piker and MoistCr1TiKaL, condemned Beahm.
“Dr Disgusting,” Valkyrae wrote.
“He was 35…. dude how do you not know that’s wrong at that age?,” Codemiko shaded Beahm.
“Subathon” streamer Ludwig Ahgren took a more subtle approach to addressing Beahm’s confession. He voiced support for Midnight Society and its upcoming game, noting that the studio “made the right decision and they made it quickly.” He did not name Beahm.
Nickmercs and TimTheTatMan, who have often streamed “Call of Duty” games with Beahm, both condemned their colleague. Nickmercs, who received support from Beahms amid a “Call of Duty” controversy last year, said in a video statement that Dr Disrespect’s actions were “inexcusable” and “unacceptable.”
He added: “I can’t support it. I can’t defend it.”
TimTheTatMan expressed shock at Beahm’s confession. “If he knew that was a minor and those were the messages being sent, I cannot support that. I can’t,” he said in a video, adding “this is awful.”
Beahm addressed critics Tuesday in his expletive-laden statement and declared: “I’m no f— predator or pedophile.
“Anyone that truely [sic] knows me f— knows where I stand on those things with those types of people. F— that,” he said. “That’s a different level of disgust that I f— hate even hearing about. Don’t be labeling me as the worst of the worst with your exaggerations.”
Beahm, who previously caught heat for livestreaming inside a bathroom while attending video game showcase E3 in 2019, once touted himself as “the face of Twitch.” He told The Times in February 2020 (four months before his Twitch ban and eventual pivot to YouTube), “I want to build something legendary.”
Beahm now says he will step away for “an extended vacation with my family.” After that, he says he will return “with a heavy weight off my shoulders” — and it seems with fewer opportunities.
